Musculoskeletal Key

Low back pain has become a costly burden to society and a leading cause of disability and loss of productivity. This chapter outlines the anatomy and biomechanics of the lumbar…

Neural tube defects (NTDs) affect 0.5 to 2 per 1000 established pregnancies worldwide and are the second most common group of severely disabling birth defects, following congenital heart defects. Myelomeningocele…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). It is the most common cause of nontraumatic disability in young adults. Approximately 400,000 individuals…

Definition A floppy infant, painless foot drop, and a paralyzed child are all potential manifestations of motor neuron disease (MND). Few diseases in medicine cause as much concern as these…

Considering that movement, balance, coordination, circulation, respiration, speech, and swallowing all require adequate and appropriate force generation by muscle fibers, it is not surprising the wide-ranging impact a myopathy may…

Introduction to Rheumatic Diseases Rheumatic diseases manifest as painful conditions typically caused by inflammation, swelling, and pain in the joints or muscles. Because pain, swelling, and decline in functional status…

Historical Overview Pain Defined Pain is a subjective and entirely individually personal experience influenced by learning, context, and multiple psychosocial variables. Pain is not merely the end product of peripheral…

Pelvic floor disorders are a wide-ranging group of potentially disabling, embarrassing, and often painful conditions that can greatly affect a person’s quality of life. The pelvic floor consists of the…

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” This statement is surely reflected in the upper limb. Through the complex interplay of neuromusculoskeletal elements in the upper limb,…